Just over the North Mountain, perched on a hill overlooking the ocean, you'll find the town of Margaretville. Come into town and look around, walk down past the weather-beaten fish shacks to the whard and take your front-row seats to one of the most beautiful sights in the Maritimes - the sunset over the Bay of Fundy. And if it's a summmer's Saturday evening, you'll also be treated to the sounds of the Maritimes. Not the screech of seagulls gliding overhead, or the waves gently lapping at the multi-coloured fishing boats, but the true sound of Nova Scotia—the sound of music. The notes from a guitar and fiddle will float out of the quaintly-curtained windows of the Margaretsville Community Hall and into the night. When you hear the music, you’ll walk back up the hill, go inside and catch the show.

Inside, it’s a night of local music—Maritime folk music—and it's called Fundy Folk Night. Weekly throughout the summer, musicians, singers and songwriters from all over Atlantic Canada come to share their special brand of “down-home” music with the locals and tourists alike. Small children run around happily at the back of the room and the audience sips coffee while the tales of ships and the rising tides are sung.

Fundy Folk Night was started six years ago by a group of local musicians and has been a welcome tradition in the area ever since. In the winter, they move to the heated Fire Hall for monthly shows. Anyone and everyone is welcome to perform at the open-mike sessions and the crowd is always receptive and supportive.

Something like this is going on in almost every small town, in every community centre or small theatre in Nova Scotia. There’s no need to take time away from a relaxing vacation to make a long trip to the city for your “music fix”, just check out the bulletin board at the grocery store or ask the locals and they’ll tell you where you can hear the sweet sounds of Nova Scotia.

In addition to the halls and community centres, there are theatres across the province offering top-notch entertainment, from alternative jazz to local maritime folk as well as many international acts. Some are quaint, small playhouses and others are modern state-of-the-art venues. They are: Th’YARC, Yarmouth; The Astor Theatre, Liverpool; Chester Playhouse; King’s Theatre, Annapolis Royal; deCoste Centre, Pictou; Bicentennial Theatre, Musquodoboit; Lunenburg Opera House & Lunenburg Theatre; and the Savoy Theatre in Glace Bay.

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